iRegret

Apple? It's David. I'm sorry.

A friend of mine messaged me on Facebook today asking me to link her to the review I wrote about the Samsung Galaxy S3. I replied back with the link -- and then I was hit by a sober second thought.

I wrote about the Galaxy S3, the Android platform, and my switch to Android from iPhone for many weeks this year. I ranted and raved about how sweet the Galaxy is and how anybody with an iPhone needed to get with the times and go 'Droid. After reading that Facebook message, however, I started wondering if the Galaxy is truly better than the iPhone.

What I really like about the Galaxy is that the screen is really big, it is very fast, and the camera and screen quality are impeccable. However, what I hate about the Galaxy is the way multimedia messaging works, as well as problems with email attachments via Gmail and music syncing. After weighing the pros and cons in my head, it made me really wonder if I made the right decision.

My technology life revolves around goofy multimedia text messages between friends, emails for work and music for when I am on the go. Does having a good camera and a big, bright screen outweigh the flaws?

What I really miss about iOS is iCloud, but more specifically, iTunes. Every single song I purchase/download is imported into iTunes. I love it; it's the most common and best music listening and storing platform out there. I use it to download new music all of the time. It was incredibly easy to sync it to my iPhone. Now I find myself procrastinating about getting new music because syncing to my Galaxy is such a pain in the ass.

In regards to email attachments, you would think a Google phone would display and organize Gmail really well, but it truly does not. I prefer the Mac Mail application for iPhone to the Gmail app for Android any day of the week. For my business, people never send a plain text email. There is always something attached. With the Android mail application, I have to download the attachment before I can view it. On the iPhone, I can QuickView it. It was so easy. I didn't have to save the attachment and take up space on my phone. I just reviewed it and replied.

This may sound corny as all hell, but I miss emojis. What are emojis, you may ask? They are the stupid little faces that you include in your text message using Apple's iMessage platform. The Android emojis simply do not have the same effect. On the topic of iMessage, I miss that program as well. I live in the RM of Springfield and the reception is crappy, to put it bluntly. When I am in my office, I get little to no reception. IMessage was always so effective because most of my contacts had iPhones and I could text them quickly and efficiently using iMessage over Wi-Fi.

Android's version of iMessage, Google Talk, is fantastic but I only have one friend who uses it, making it very difficult to communicate with the masses.

Last but not least, I miss FaceTime. One of my good friends FaceTimed me every single day; it was our way of catching up. Now that I've made the switch to Android, we only text message and it does not have the same effect video chatting did.

I guess you can say I am missing the iPhone right now -- for a host of reasons. For a long time I was truly sick of it and wanted something new, so I switched to Android. The first couple of months were good because change is always nice, but now I am at the point where I am experiencing some sort of smartphone regret. I miss all of Apple's ease of use functionality. I'm an Apple guy; I own all their products, I use all of their software, why not have the iPhone so it all syncs easily?

I must say I am looking forward to BlackBerry 10. If it doesn't suck and the email looks fantastic, I think I might jump ship for a while to test it out. I need to try everything before I know what I truly want -- I am just that type of guy.

Thanks for reading my column this year ladies and gents! It has been a pleasure. I loved the conversations we have had. I hope you guys all have a fantastic new year. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @thedavidbell, or if you have any comments about this article send me over an email at db@thedavidbell.com.

David Bell (@thedavidbell) is a young entrepreneur in Winnipeg. He specializes in emerging technology and online aspects of business, including web and social media consulting. Access his company online at iBXMediaGroup.ca. He is an active member of the YouTube community (http://www.TheDavidBell.com), with more than two million views and 5,000 subscribers. He was also a Dragons' Den contestant. Email: db@thedavidbell.com

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.